Cubs Pick Up Option on José Quintana, Buy Out Derek Holland

The Cubs made a pair of widely expected moves Saturday, picking up the $10.5 million option on José Quintana and buying out Derek Holland for $500,000 rather than pay him $6.5 million. The former could end up as a trade chip if the Cubs are serious about shedding salary, while the latter could catch on with a team that’s looking for a cheap lefty starter or the LOOGY he should have been in Chicago.

Cubs announce two decisions today: José Quintana's team option ($10.5M) picked up and Derek Holland's team option declined ($500K buyout).

— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) November 2, 2019

The next obvious announcement will be that Anthony Rizzo’s $14.5 million option has been exercised, but the Cubs may also pick up Kendall Graveman’s $3 million option. While it seems a little odd for a cost-conscious franchise to put money into a guy who’s barely pitched over the last year, the unique nature of Graveman’s deal make it a pretty attractive proposition.